


My Girl

by speedgriffon



Series: It's Just a Flesh Wound | Rosie Sheridan Fics [12]
Category: Fallout 3
Genre: Butch Is In His Feelings Again, Developing Relationship, Emotions, F/M, Fluff, Jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24168805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/speedgriffon/pseuds/speedgriffon
Summary: Butch has always had a jealous streak, he just doesn't like to admit it. But when it comes to Rosie, his emotions tend to get the better of him. He just really likes his girlfriend, okay? Did he say girlfriend? Maybe he should've remembered to ask her about that first.
Relationships: Butch DeLoria/Female Lone Wanderer
Series: It's Just a Flesh Wound | Rosie Sheridan Fics [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710277
Comments: 11
Kudos: 47





	My Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: “Wait a minute.. are you jealous?”

The Rivet City marketplace wasn’t as exciting as the Muddy Rudder, in Butch’s opinion. Sure, it had its purposes, but he could count on one hand the amount of times he had found the need to actually shop from the various store-fronts and it was usually because Rosie had dragged him there. That day was no different, the two making the trip from the Citadel to trade before they made their way north through the capital on an errand for Moira. Butch wasn’t fully convinced on helping to create a _Wasteland Survival Guide_ , but he wasn’t about to watch Rosie go off and travel on her own and risk getting hurt—or worse.

Except today, Butch found his patience running thin as he sat in front of Flak ‘n Shrapnel’s waiting for her to finish speaking with the marketplace guard. What was his name? Harkness? _What a dumb name for a guard_ —he thought, glaring at the man with his arms crossed tightly across his chest. Butch briefly remembered Rosie speaking about helping him before with _something_ —that’s how she ended up with the impressive plasma rifle (that she barely knew how to shoot) strapped to her back.

What he didn’t understand was why she was wasting time in talking to him, of all people. Maybe he understood when she took the time to visit the other city occupants, like Doctor Preston or Vera Weatherly. But a city guard? The more he watched the two interact, the more uncomfortable he felt, the irritation crawling at his skin and knotting his stomach in a way he wasn’t familiar with.

What happened to shy and reserved Rosie that barely spoke a peep? Rosie, who preferred to observe and scribble in her journals than have long, drawn out conversations. _That_ was the girl Butch knew—how she’d get flustered and trip over her words when embarrassed, and how she still let out a nervous giggle when they kissed. Rosie was the girl he wanted to keep all to himself, even if that made him selfish. Retaking the purifier be damned—he just wanted to spend every aching moment with her.

Butch recoiled at the sound of her laugh. Why was she laughing? He glanced up to see Harkness gesturing to her rifle, _smiling_ —and it was all he _had_ to see before standing abruptly, nearly toppling the chair over in the process. Neither Rosie or the guard noticed as he made a swift exit, stomping up the railing to the top outside deck. He paced along the steel walkway until he was overlooking the water, crossing his arms as he slumped over the railing.

For a while he stayed like that, before pulling the pack of smokes and lighter from his jacket pocket. Rosie didn’t appreciate the habit, but right now he was too frustrated and needed to clear his mind. With the first drag he leaned over the railing again, expecting to relax but his thoughts didn’t quiet. When did he become so reliant on Rosie? Didn’t he leave Vault 101 so he could make it on his own? Have all the fun he wanted without consequence? Since when did he care what she did, or how it affected him? Probably since he went soft and caught feelings for her, that’s when.

Then again, maybe he’d always been soft around the edges and just had to get out of the vault to realize it. Maybe all he needed was a nice, cute girl to keep him grounded. Rosie certainly fit the bill, and the more time Butch spent with her, the more he realized he didn’t want to be apart. The discomfort from settled in his gut as he thought about where she was right then, still in the marketplace, laughing it up with _that guard_.

Sure, he wasn’t sure what the topic of conversation was, but did he really need to know? Only he was supposed to be the one to make her laugh like that—sweet little giggles at corny jokes and breathless laughs when he tickled her for too long. Who did this Harkness guy think he was? Twice her age and making a pass at her? Well—at least that’s what it looked like to Butch—he didn’t want to think about it.

He flicked one burned through cigarette away before lighting up another, glancing down at his Pip-Boy to see how much time had passed. The sun was setting—his chest tightened when he thought about how in all the chaos, Rosie always stopped to watch the sunset and sunrise, always in awe like she was seeing it for the first time. He wished she was there now to watch it with him.

“Hey.”

The cigarette between his lips fell and plummeted straight into the waters below as he flinched at the sound of her voice, like he had summoned her with his thoughts. Butch turned to her, wiping at his mouth in a hopeless attempt to get the taste of nicotine out as she approached. The wave of guilt morphed back into irritation and he crossed his arms over his chest, propping his boot on the railing as he leaned back. He forced a cool expression, like nothing was bothering him.

Rosie raised a curious eyebrow. “What are you doing out here?”

“Waiting for you,” he shrugged. “Wanted to see how long you and that _Hardness_ guy were gonna keep flirting.”

She blinked at him in surprise, and her smile disappeared. _Uh-oh_.

“ _Harkness_ ,” she corrected, skewing her lips to the side. She studied him carefully without saying anything. “Wait a minute…are you jealous?” 

_Okay_ , so maybe Butch wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the emotion—once, his ma (and Susie) had told him he had a jealous streak—but he never liked to admit it. Made him out to be weak, or out of control of his emotions. He huffed, frowning as he gripped the sleeves of his jacket and avoided her stare.

“As if!” he answered, even as a heat licked at the back of his neck and ears. “What do I have to be jealous of huh? Some old man?”

Rosie hesitantly stepped closer to him, offering the barest of smiles. “You know that…me just talking to other guys isn’t flirting, right?”

“I know that!”

“Then why are you out here brooding?” she asked.

He pouted, and finally met her eyes. “He made you laugh. I—I thought _I_ made you laugh.”

She flashed him that surprised look again, but this time her expression softened, and her smile lingered as she moved just a little closer, like any closer and he would run off scared. Rosie rubbed at her elbow—a nervous tick, her teeth running over her bottom lip in thought.

“A friendly laugh is different,” she explained before gesturing to him. “With you I—”

Butch watched as a blush crept along her cheeks and her gaze danced away. It was usually like this, the two of them—stubborn and incapable of expressing their emotions through words—so they usually ended up kissing and making out instead. Blame it on being young and inexperienced—they both had a lot to learn.

“Butch, I like you. God only knows why, but I do,” she spoke after a moment of silence. “I’m with _you_. I’m your girl.”

He straightened, arms loosening from his chest. “Yeah?”

The color on her cheeks increased. “Well, I mean—”

“I like the sound of that,” he interrupted, wondering how goofy his grin looked. Inside his chest, his heart was hammering against his rib cage. Instead of dread, he felt excitement. If that’s what she thought, he felt completely stupid for being jealous before.

“You never…you never asked me,” Rosie said next. “You still owe me a date.”

“What?” Butch was flustered. He could’ve sworn he had asked her about being his girlfriend, or at least called her that a few times since kissing her…or maybe not. And yeah—he really messed up on not taking her out like he said he would, but hey, they were busy saving the wasteland. That was a pretty good enough excuse, right? He nervously rubbed at his neck. “I guess I kind of skipped over that part, huh?”

She looked at him expectantly, those pretty blue eyes shining behind her glasses.

“What do you say, Rosie?” he asked, calming himself with a breath. “You want to go steady with a guy like me?”

“Does that mean you’ll take me on a date?” she questioned in reply, with a coy smile.

Butch reached out to grasp her hands and yanked her closer, grinning at her surprised yelp that quickly dissolved into a fit of laughter.

“All the dates you want, Rosie baby,” he dipped his head, capturing her lips in a sweet, lingering kiss. “Anything for my girl.”

Rosie returned the kiss, smiling against his mouth. “Your girl,” she repeated, her soft giggle warming him from head to toe. “I like the sound of that.”

**Author's Note:**

> say hello over on tumblr @ eeveevie
> 
> kudos and comments are always appreciated :)


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